Injury News

Bills WR Sammy Watkins (foot) has avoided the PUP list and will participate in the team's 1st training camp practice on Thursday night. It's been a smooth rehab from January foot surgery, although he remains the biggest injury risk at his position.

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Redskins HC Jay Gruden said Thursday that the "hope" is for TE Jordan Reed to get back on the field in "about a week." He's dealing with both toe and ankle injuries. “I don’t think it’s a significant injury where anybody should worry,” Gruden said. Considering Reed's injury history, we're not just sweeping this one under the rug. He's already the most likely TE to get hurt this season.

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Bears WR Cameron Meredith (thumb) has avoided the PUP list and was on the field for the team's 1st training camp practice on Thursday. He injured a thumb ligament on June 1 but is evidently good to go now. We have him with just a 6.6% chance of missing time with injury this season.

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Browns WR Corey Coleman told reporters on Thursday that he's been cleared for the start of training camp. The 2016 first-rounder missed minicamp with a sore hamstring -- a problem that's becoming too common. Coleman was redshirted as a freshman at Baylor because of hamstring trouble, missed 3 games with a hamstring injury in 2014 and sat out the first 2 preseason games last year with a bum hammy. Our model gives him a 41.4% chance of missing time with injury this season.

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Broncos HC Vance Joseph announced that RB Devontae Booker will undergo surgery to repair his fractured wrist on Friday. He's expected to miss 6 weeks, which would have Booker back a few days before Week 1. Joseph expects him to be ready for the start of the regular season.

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Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski (back) is a full-go for the start of training camp. "No limits that I'm aware of," HC Bill Belichick said. Gronk participated in spring workouts and has had a smooth recovery from December back surgery. He remains an elevated injury risk but is also still the clear top TE in fantasy football whenever he's on the field.

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Broncos RB Devontae Booker has been diagnosed with a fractured wrist. The injury reportedly occurred during OTAs in June but wasn't discovered until Booker had it looked at when he reported to training camp on Wednesday. Insider Mike Klis hears the injury might cost Booker the "first game or 2 of the regular season." Pro Football Talk has a similar timeline, with Booker out "up to 6-8 weeks." He appeared in all 16 games as a rookie last year but missed 3 games and needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his final college season.

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Bucs RB Jeremy McNichols has been cleared for the start of training camp after post-Combine surgery on a torn labrum in his shoulder. He has catching up to do after missing all of spring workouts. There's some opportunity in Tampa's backfield with Doug Martin suspended for the first 3 games, but McNichols is at least behind Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims right now.

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Ravens QB Joe Flacco is dealing with a disc issue in his back, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. His timetable for return is murky. Per Rapoport, Flacco will miss "at least a week or 2" but is "is preparing to miss 3-6" weeks. The longest end of that range would have him sidelined until a few days before Baltimore's regular-season opener in Cincinnati. Flacco has been relatively durable as a pro, missing just 6 games with a torn ACL and MCL in 2015 across 9 seasons.

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Redskins TE Jordan Reed was placed on the PUP list to open training camp. The Washington Post's Master Tesfatsion reports that Reed is dealing with a toe injury but adds the PUP move is "precautionary." This sounds like a minor issue -- but we're talking about a guy who's missed 18 games through 4 NFL seasons. Reed is the most likely TE to miss time with injury this year, according to our algorithms.

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Bengals WR John Ross (shoulder) is still expected to be sidelined a "couple of weeks," according to the team's official website. The rookie continues to rehab from surgery to repair a torn labrum. Missing all of spring workouts and the start of training camp makes him a long shot to make an early-season impact.

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Broncos RB Jamaal Charles (knee) has been cleared for the start of training camp, HC Vance Joseph announced. He missed all but 3 games last season and underwent surgeries on both knees in November. That followed torn ACLs in both 2011 and 2015. Now 30, Charles is 1 of the biggest injury risks at his position.

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Falcons HC Dan Quinn said Wednesday that WR Julio Jones (foot) will be limited to begin training camp. That he'll be out there at all this early on is a good sign. Jones is returning from surgery to remove a bunion from his left foot on March 6. There's been nothing to suggest that it'll be an issue when Week 1 rolls around. Jones surprisingly has only a 44.3% chance of missing time this season -- just 18th most among WRs.

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Steelers WR Sammie Coates had his knee scoped last week and will miss the start of training camp, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Coates "could" return in mid-August, per Fowler, but is also a candidate for the regular-season PUP list (which would cost him the first 6 games). He played through fractures and tendon damage in his left ring and index fingers last season and then underwent groin surgery in February. Coates needs to get and stay healthy if he wants to make Pittsburgh's roster.

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Ravens RB Kenneth Dixon will miss the entire 2017 season after undergoing surgery today to repair his torn meniscus, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The meniscus needed to be completely repaired, rather than the trimming procedure that would have sidelined him 6-8 weeks. Dixon's rehab is now expected to take 4-5 months. He should be a full-go for the start of the 2018 campaign, but he's now had 3 knee injuries in just a little more than a year in the NFL.

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Ravens TE Maxx Williams (knee) has avoided the PUP list and is ready for the start of training camp. He underwent a reportedly rare knee surgery this offseason, but it looks like that'll be a non-issue going forward. Williams has also dealt with hamstring, ankle and concussion issues as a pro, though, so durability is a concern.

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Ravens RB Kenneth Dixon will undergo knee surgery today, according to the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec. The team believes Dixon has a torn meniscus but will know more after the operation. Zrebiec notes that meniscus tears usually sideline guys for 6-8 weeks -- but that can vary based on the severity. Dixon, of course, is suspended for the first 4 games of the season, so it's possible that this injury doesn't cost him any additional time. But he'll likely miss all of training camp and the preseason, costing him valuable reps to earn playing time. It's also worth noting that Dixon suffered a pair of knee injuries last summer, so durability is certainly becoming a concern. We already had him as an elevated injury risk this year.

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Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower will begin training camp on the PUP list. It's not yet clear what issue is limiting him, but Hightower has endured recurring knee trouble and dealt with a shoulder injury in the postseason. New England re-signed him in free agency, however, so expect Hightower to be ready for the regular season.

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ESPN reports that Colts S Clayton Geathers will open 2017 on the PUP list because of the neck injury that ended his 2016 campaign. Geathers tried other treatments but eventually required March surgery. He has yet to return to action and now looks like a question mark for 2017 at all. The situation has knocked him from potential sleeper to non-factor in 2017 IDP rankings. Indy enters camp with rookie S Malik Hooker and converted CB Darius Butler the leading candidates to start at safety.

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Chiefs TE Travis Kelce avoided the PUP list to open training camp after undergoing shoulder surgery early in the offseason. We never got any details about his injury or the procedure, but it never seemed like something that would impact his 2017 campaign. Kelce hasn't missed a game in the last 3 seasons and has just a 12% chance of missing time this year.